To the nearly 34,500 Palestinians killed by Israeli bombing in a conflict that has now lasted more than six months, deaths from easily treatable diseases in Gaza are now being added.
Devastated by more than 200 days of total war, the Strip’s health system is virtually collapsed, and cannot serve a population subjected to hunger, shortage of drinking water, overcrowding and lack of medicine, describes a dispatch from the agency. EFE.
Mari Carmen Viñoles, head of the Emergency Unit of Doctors Without Borders, an organization present in the Palestinian enclave, published a report this Monday titled “Silent Deaths.”
The document, cited by the Spanish media, denounces the death of children due to pneumonia in overwhelmed health centers and of adults due to the closure of kidney dialysis units in the attacked hospitals.
“These are the silent deaths in Gaza that are not reported,” Viñoles added.
Rafah, a Dantesque passage and under attack
According to the report, based on medical data and patient testimonies, the current living conditions in Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians take refuge, are not conducive not only to life, but to survival.
In southern Gaza City there is a “desperate” shortage of clean water for drinking or washing, while garbage and raw sewage pile up.
In just two of the primary care centers, in the Al Shaboura and Al Mawasi areas, MSF says it has attended an average of 5,000 medical consultations per week; more than 40% of patients with upper respiratory tract infections.
In addition, the organization reports “a growing number of suspected cases of hepatitis A”, and between January and March 2024, it claims to have treated 216 children under 5 years of age for moderate or severe acute malnutrition, a diagnosis that did not exist before the war.
According to the latest data from the UN and the Gazan Government, only 11 of the 35 hospitals in the Mediterranean enclave are partially functioning, while 83% of the aquifer wells are no longer operational.
For their part, Save the Children and the World Health Organization report that there have been at least 435 attacks against health facilities or personnel throughout Gaza in six months, which is equivalent to almost 73 attacks per month, the highest rate than that of any other recent conflict.
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Shortly after the Doctors Without Borders report was released, it was learned that Rafah, over which the threat of a major Tel Aviv offensive has hung for weeks, suffered a deadly bombing that could be the preamble to larger attacks.
According to press reports, at least 22 people were killed, including children, in an Israeli airstrike on that city during the early hours of Monday.
A report from the chain cnn reports the death of civilians who were sleeping in their homes when the attack occurred. He also tells of body bags on the floor of the Abu Youssef Al Najjar hospital in Rafah, with dozens of people mourning their deceased loved ones.
In response to a request from the American media, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that its fighter jets “attacked targets where terrorists were operating within a civilian area in southern Gaza.”
“The IDF will continue to thwart terrorist activity and protect Israeli civilians, in accordance with international law,” adds the Tel Aviv note.
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Negotiations in perspective
Meanwhile, Egypt maintains hope in a proposed truce and release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, but is awaiting a definitive response on the plan from Israel and Hamas, according to the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Sameh Shoukry.
A Hamas delegation left the Egyptian capital, Cairo, late on Monday to consult with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance group about the latest proposal, which had been modified.
They are expected to report on this within two days, according to Egyptian security sources, although it remains to be seen what the impact of the recent attack in Rafah may be.
Egypt is very interested in finally having a truce, because otherwise the land invasion of Rafah would be inevitable with the consequent massacre of thousands where today more than a million Palestinians who fled from the north and center of the Strip are gathered. by Israel’s attacks.
Palestine, between international recognition and US support for Israel
The high representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and International Security, Josep Borrell, considered possible the recognition of Palestine by several countries of that bloc before the end of next May.
Borell’s statements took place during a special session of the World Economic Forum, held in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, according to press reports.
To date, the state of Palestine has been recognized by 140 of the 193 member nations of the UN. Among the European countries that have done so are Bulgaria, Hungary, Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Sweden; while others such as Spain, Norway and Slovenia have announced their intention to do so.
The United States, meanwhile, has not only shown its opposition to UN acceptance of the Palestinian state, but also opposes an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israel over its military actions in Gaza.
“We have been very clear about the ICC investigation, that we do not support it, we do not believe they have jurisdiction,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday.
Israeli officials fear that the United Nations high court, based in The Hague, will soon issue arrest warrants, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself, according to the newspaper. The New York Times.
